Improvement in feeders for printing-presses



"UNITED STATES PATENT OEFIcE.

rEEDEEIcx. L. EEUeHEs, OF nooHEsTEE, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN FEEDERS FOR PRINTING-PRESSES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 141,713, dated August 12, 1873; application filed June 24, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK LEE HEUGHES, of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain Improvements in Feeders for Printing-Presses, of which the following is a specification:

My invention relates to a press in which two or more platens and beds are used, arranged in the same general vertical line, for the purpose of chromatic printing; and it consists more especially in the employment of two or more platens'arranged in the same vertical plane, or nearly so, in connection with suitabierevolving griper-bands.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of my invention, representing it as attached to the frame of my chromatic-printing press, of which I have prepared another specification. Fig. 2 is an elevation of a portion of the feeder.

A, Fig. 1, is a portion of the frame of my chromatic press, to suitable lugs on which the platengate I is hinged. H H are platens, properly secured to the gate, and arranged in the same vertical, or nearly vertical, line. B are endless metallic bands, having apertures through them at regular intervals, and arranged to run over wheels 0 0, one of which, as G, is provided with pins or projections a, which enter the apertures in the bands and drive them. The shafts j of the wheels 0 0 have bearings in arms projecting from the platen-gate I, and consequently the latter, the platens, and the feeder are practically one piece. The bands B pass down near the ends of the platens, and are provided with gripers D, which extend horizontally from one band to the other. These gripers consist of the fixed bar I), which is rigidly attached near the extremities to blocks 0, which in turn are secured to the bands B by a single central rivet, as indicated in Fig. 2. By this method of attachin g the blocks they pass readily over the wheels 0 0. These blocks contain bearings for the rock-shafts d, to which the nipper-bar D is secured. To the extremities of the rockshaft arms 0 are rigidly attached, which are so operated upon by springs 0 as to throw the nipper D open when released, as indicated at the right hand of Fig. 1. To retain the nipper so as to hold the sheet against the back bar I), pawls or dogs f are hinged to the rock-arms c, which look over the projecting ends of the bar b, as indicated in Fig. 1, and which are forced into place by suitable springs g. Pins It also project from the dogs for the purpose of tripping them and releasing the nipper at the .proper time. Upon the shaft of the wheels 0 a pinion, F, is loosely placed, which has a flange, 70, formed upon it. A pawl, l, is pivoted to this flange, and works in the teeth of a ratchet secured to shaft j, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. A gear, also shown in dotted lines, meshes into the pinion F, and receives motion in turn from a reciprocating rack, N. This reciprocating rack is described in the specification of my chromatic press as deriving its motion from a crank upon the main shaft, and whenthe sheetfeeder is attached to such press it fills a double office, viz to propel the inking-frame and work the feeder The ratchet upon the shaft j must have such a number of teeth that a motion equal to the distance from one platen to the other will be given to the bands B at each double stroke of the rack N. A bar, L, Fig. 1, is fixed to the platen-gate, with which the pins h upon the dogs f come in contact, and are thus tripped and the sheet released from the nippers D, as indicated by the position of griper 5, Fig. 1.

For the purpose of holding the sheet against the platens, pressers m may be used, which are secured to bars a, the latter having grooved blocks g at the ends, which slide upon ways 19 upon the frame of the machine. These presses are operated automatically from the working parts of the press, and when withdrawn the gripers pass between them and the platens. 1 The operation of my feeder is as follows: When the press is started the operator places a sheet in the open griper 2, which remains stationary for a moment at the edge of the bank J, and the lever r, Fig. 1, worked at the proper time from amovin g part of the machine, closes the nipper-bar D tightly upon the sheet, where it is held by the dogs 6. Just then the rack N begins to ascend, and the bands B, by

means of the pawl Z and ratchet upon the shaft j, receive a sufficient impulse to carry the sheet to the first platen, upon which the pressers m hold it till the impression is given from the type-bed. Meantime, the rack N returns, revolving the pinion F loosely upon itsshaft. At its next ascent the sheet in griper 2 passes to the next platen H, and receives another impression of a different color, and is finally carried around the sprocket-wheels 0 till the tripper L opens the griper and allows the printed sheet to drop into a receptacle provided-for it. with all the gripers, they being arranged upon the bands B the same distance apart as the platens H H.

It will be observed that it is practicable to work this feeder as fast as a cylinder-press can be worked, since the operator is not obliged to wait for the return of the platen upon which to lay the sheet; and it is peculiarly applica- The same operation takes place tially as described.

FRED. L. HEUGHES. Witnesses:

WM. S. LOUGHBOROUGH, PATRICK MGINTYRE. 

